Let's explore the rich culture, beautiful scenic view, delicious and colorful gourmet,high infrastructure, high life-style, tourist spot, people and educational activities of Korea from my window called the "MYSTIC KOREA".

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Taekwondo stays in Olympics, Park gets his bronze

South
Korea’s Hwang Kyung-Seon celebrates after defending her Olympic women’s
under-67 kilogram title with a victory over European champion Nur Tatar
of Turkey at the London Games last year. Taekwondo, a traditional
Korean martial art, will remain an Olympic sport for the foreseeable
future after surviving the latest scrutiny by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC). /Yonhap

Korean
footballer Park Jong-woo stirred controversy by hoisting a sign that
read in Korean, "Dokdo is our territory,’’ attacking Japan’s historical
claim over the tiny islets, while celebrating Korea’s 2-0 victory over
Japan in the London Olympics bronze medal match last year. The IOC bans
athletes from displays of any political statements and prevented Park
from participating in the medal ceremony. The IOC’s Disciplinary
Commission issued a warning against Park after its meeting Tuesday, but
decided to give the player the medal he had been barred from collecting
for six months.

Taekwondo
will become one of the 25 Olympic core sports on the back of the
International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) final scrutiny, while
Greco-Roman wrestling lost its Olympic status, officials said Tuesday.

London
Olympic national football team defender Park Jong-woo will receive a
long-awaited bronze medal, which had been put on hold after his
controversial celebration at the Games.

With the
decision made at the IOC Executive Board meeting, taekwondo, Korea’s
traditional martial arts, is expected to remain as an Olympic sport
unless “exceptional circumstances,” such as a drug issue or a radical
popularity drop occur according to IOC President Jacques Rogge.

For
the 2020 Summer Olympics, the IOC will decide on a new sport to be
represented with baseball-softball, roller sports, squash, karate, sport
climbing, wushu and wakeboarding competing for an Olympic spot at the
general meeting in Buenos Aires of Argentina in September.

Since
it became an Olympic medal sport in the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
taekwondo’s status has been threatened as it was embroiled with judgment
controversies.

However, with a newly-adopted
electronic scoring system and instant video replays for precise
judgments in London, the sport swept aside such concerns.

Park
had been in a bind after holding up a sign, which read “Dokdo Is Our
Territory,” in the flush of victory. Dokdo are Korea’s easternmost
islets which Japan has also laid claim to.

After the Disciplinary Commission reviewed Park’s action last year, the IOC decided to give him the medal.

“The
IOC gave Park a strong warning,” an official with the Korean Olympic
Committee (KOC) said. “Also, the KOC was told to map out plans to
prevent similar incidents.”

Before the meeting, Park
and his team of attorneys and KOC officials explained his case to
secure the medal. Tension remained until the very last minute as Park
refused to answer questions from reporters, noting that he did his best
to convince the IOC officials.

In December, FIFA suspended Park for two matches and fined him 3,500 Swiss francs ($3,810) as a penalty.